An unexpected journey
My journey to the world of electronics started when I was in 3rd grade. When I disassembled my grandfather’s, to his irritation, transistor radio. I thought back then that there were tiny Lilliputians inside that small box no bigger than my palm. I learned the hard way (got a good spanking), that instead of tiny people, there were tiny assorted components which make up that radio. Since then, I have been fascinated with electronics.
I am still fascinated with electronics. And I want to share that fascination with anybody interested in getting into this fun hobby. The computer technology, particularly the desktop computers, was revolutionized by hobbyists like Steve Wozniak of Apple. The first Apple computer was built using electronic components bought from Radioshack.
Now, thanks to Arduino and Raspberry Pi and other SBCs, and may I add Amazon and the “for Dummies” books, this hobby has become much simpler and much easier to learn even for complete noobies. There are tons of resources on the internet. And this blog site is just one of them (or at least aims to be one).
So, join me in this wonderful journey of learning a worthwhile hobby. Who knows, maybe you could be the next Steve Wozniak. 🙂
Programming: Talking to computers using their language
I wrote my first “Hello, World” back in the late 80s. Using the BASIC language on a Casio FX750p, I created programs to simplify my Trigonometry. Starting with simple programs such as number guessing game and word guessing game, I progressed to more complex programs like math equations. Then I moved to C/C++, and later on to assembly language.
The semicolon was my perennial headache, especially back at a time when we do not have intelligent IDEs. We code using text editors then compile them manually at the command line. Back then, I always forget a semicolon and wonder what the heck was wrong with my code. That’s the reason this blog site is named the semicolon project, as a testament to those times when life was much simpler.